Today With Sean O Rourke Wednesday 16 April 2014

Today with Sean O'Rourke

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Water Charges

As we’ve been hearing the water charges issue is being discussed at cabinet this morning. According to today’s Irish Independent the average annual bill for a family of two adults and two children will be €248. Fionnan Sheahan is group political editor with Independent Newspapers and he was with Sean this morning as was Fianna Fail’s environment spokesman Barry Cowen.

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NAMA

Almost five years ago now, my next guest got a call out of the blue from then Finance Minister, Brian Lenihan and was asked to decide in a day whether he would head up the new National Asset Management Agency.

NAMA started off life as the largest property company in the world and Frank Daly was the man put in charge of the unique task of running it into the ground.

He spoke to Sean this morning.

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Giro d’Italia

On Sunday May 11th the Giro d’Italia, second only to the Tour de France in terms of cycling prestige, comes to Dublin, two days after it starts in Belfast. The last time a grand tour came to Ireland was in 1998, when the Tour de France began in here. Days later the Festina doping scandal erupted and a dark era for the sport began.

A lot of water, mostly foul water, has passed under the bridge since then, but cycling appears to be cleaning up its act. However, we have been told that before. Last week, Lance Armstrong began naming names in a sworn testimony – too little too late?

That said it is a big deal for tourism in Ireland. Do the pros outweigh the cons?

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Take Away Free Zones

Childhood obesity – and the increasing weight of the nation’s children – has become a major preoccupation of health experts and government in recent years.

Solutions that might reverse the worrying trend are coming thick and fast – and one such proposed solution is the creation of an exclusion zone for takeaway restaurants near schools.

Sean was joined in studio by Dr Donal O’Shea, Director of the Weight Management Service at Loughlinstown and St Vincent’s Hospitals and Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland who represents a number of takeaway outlets.

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Garda

The interim Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan was given a standing ovation by delegates at the Garda (AGSI) conference in Killarney yesterday.

Some commentators see the Deputy Commissioner as the leader in waiting and possible successor to Martin Callinan.

She took the opportunity to reassure members of the force and said that Garda Sergeants and Inspectors must have the courage to challenge how the organisation goes about its business as a police force.